Golf tee



Sept. 28, 193 7.

G. F. FlJUX GOLF TEE Filed April 22, 1956 INVENTOR BY fi 66 a ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIeE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to golf ball tees and with particularity to an improved tee of the wire type.

While various forms of golf ball tees made from wire have been proposed heretofore, they have not found wide application for a number of reasons, one reason being the cost of manufacture as compared with the ordinary wood tees. Another reason is the difficulty of making a wire tee, the shank of which will not bend when forced into hard earth. A third objection to the ordinary wire tee is that the shank usually terminates in a cut or sharply pointed end which renders such tees liable to tear or pierce the clothing unless special protective carriers for the tees are provided.

Accordingly it is one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a wire tee which overcomes the above-noted and other disadvantages.

A feature of the invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing a golf ball tee from a single length of wire.

Another feature relates to a wire tee having a twisted wire shank and wherein the free or untwisted ends of the wire are looped or shaped to form the receptacle or seat for the ball.

Another feature relates to a wire golf tee having attached thereto in a novel manner, a locating or identifying tag.

A further feature relates'to a wire golf tee having a re-enforced shank which is preferably made to have a rounded ground-piercing point. As a subsidiary feature, the shank may be relatively smooth adjacent the point so as to determine automatically the height of the tee when pushed into the ground.

A still further feature relates to the novel organization, arrangement and relative location of parts which go to make up an improved, efficient and economical wire golf tee.

Other features and advantages not specifically enumerated will be apparent after a consideration of the following detailed descriptions and the appended claims. In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in perspective, of a preferred form of golf ball tee according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view of the tee of Fig. 1 prior to bending the shank to its final position.

Fig. 3 is a view of a modification of the tee of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are views to explain an alternative method of forming a wire golf tee according to the invention.

Fig. 6 is a view of a tee formed according to Figs. 4-. and 5.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the tee is formed from a single length of comparatively heavy gauge wire such as plated iron or steel. To form the tee, a length of the wire is bent back upon itself intermediate its ends, as indicated by the numeral l, and the bent back portions are twisted around each other starting preferably, although not necessarily, at a point indicated by the numeral 2. The portion l of the shank is preferably tightly twisted so that the legs of the untwisted portion 3 are in close Contact.

The untwisted portion being therefore relatively smooth is readily forced into the ground and the bent back end i is rounded thus preventing the tee from piercing the clothing or causing damage to the carrier, as is likely to happen where the shank of the tee is formed from a single length of unbent wire. Furthermore the smoothness of the portion 3 provides an automatic gauge for the height of the tee, since the twisted portion is relatively rough and'more difiicult to force into the ground.

As indicated in Fig. 2 the free ends of the urn twisted wire are looped to circular or other desired configuration to receive the golf ball which is indicated in Fig. 1 in dotted outline. If desired the opposed free ends 5 and B of the loop portion 7 may be permanently fastened together in any suitable manner as by welding, twisting. Preferably, however, these free ends are left unfastened so that the size of the loop I may be varied to suit the taste of the individual user. Preferably also there is inserted between the bent back portions of the original wire, a short length 8 of tape, cloth or the like, so that as the shank portion 4 is formed during the twisting operation, the said tape is likewise caught firmly between the twists of the wire. The tape 8 may have 40 printed thereon any suitable identifying or ad vertising matter, and also serves to locate the tee should the same be lost or otherwise invisible in grass, shrubbery or the like. Furthermore the tape 8 may be made sufficiently long so as to 45 be positioned along the contemplated line of flight of the golfer when addressing the golf ball.

I have found that by forming the wire tee in the manner set forth that the twisted portion l provides the maximum of rigidity to the shank and prevents the tee bending or buckling when forced into the ground. Furthermore, if the golfer should strike the tee with the club there is little chance of the tee being permanently deformed. I have found that by leaving the ends of the loop I unfastened, accidental blows to the tee merely result in a deflection of the said loop portion which may be easily bent back to the original shape. In other words the tee is provided with a maximum of rigidity in the shank and is provided with a relatively resilient ball receiving loop or seat.

Instead of forming the tee with a straight shank as in Fig. 1, the shank may be offset adjacent its upper end so as to bring it into concentric alignment with the center of the loop 1, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 4, 5 and 6 there is shown an alternative method of forming the tee. In this embodiment, the length of wire is bent back upon itself as indicated in Fig. 4, and a portion intermediate the ends is offset to form a circular or other ball receiving loop 9. .A section of each of the straight bent back lengths is then twisted upon itself as indicated by the. numerals l9, II in Fig. 5. These twisted lengths are offset to bring them into concentric alignment with the loop 9 as indicated in Fig. 6 and are again twisted about themselves to form in effect a unitary double-twisted shank l2 having a relatively smooth ground-piercing end l3.

While the invention is'not limited to any particular metal for forming the tee, it is preferred to employ a spring wire of the order of 0.04 gauge. And while certain specific embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore while the drawing shows certain specific relations in size between the various parts of the tee it will be understood that the various dimensions may be varied as desired. Preferably however the twisted portion of the shank eX- tends for about three-quarters of the length of the shank, as this has been found to provide the necessary rigidity to the shank and to provide the necessary smoothness of the piercing portion to facilitate its insertion into the ground.

What I claim is:

1. A wire golf tee having a shank composed of two twisted wire strands, an untwisted groundpiercing end having a rounded point, and a ball seat composed of the free ends of said two strands, said free ends being each of substantially semi-circular shape and disposed with relation to each other to form a substantially circular loop, the demarcation between the twisted and untwisted strands forming a height gauge for the tee.

2. A wire golf tee consisting of a ground-piercing end of two substantially straight untwisted wire portions terminating in a rounded point, a shank consisting of two twisted wire portions, and a ball receiving seat consisting of two semicircular wire portions, the demarcation between the twisted and untwisted portions forming a height gauge for the tee.

3. A wire golf tee according to claim 2 in which a pliable strip-like marker is fastened to the shank between the twisted turns thereof.

4. A wire golf tee according to claim 2 in which the shank is off-set at an angle with respect to the seat so as to locate the untwisted portion of the shank co-aXially of the seat.

5. A golf tee consisting of two wire strands twisted together throughout only a portion of their length to form a rigid twisted tee shank terminating in an untwisted relatively smooth ground piercing end the demarcation between the twisted and untwisted portions providing a gauge for the depth of insertion of the tee into the ground, and a ball receiving seat formed by the free untwisted ends of said strands.

6. A golf tee consisting of two wire strands twisted together throughout only a portion of their length to form a rigid twisted tee shank terminating in an untwisted relatively smooth ground piercing end the demarcation between the twisted and untwisted portions providing a gauge for the depth of insertion of the tee into the ground, the free ends of the said strands being bent at substantially right angles and each end being of substantially semi-circular shape whereby the size of the seat may be varied.

'7. A golf tee consisting of a single length of wire bent back upon itself, the strands of the bent back wire being twisted together throughout only a part of their length and constituting a rigid tee shank with the untwisted portion providing a relatively smooth ground piercing portion and with the demarcation between the twisted and untwisted portions forming a gauge for the depth of insertion of the tee into the ground, the free ends of the wire being of substantially semi-circular shape and disposed at substantially right angles to the shank with an adjustable gap between the tips of said semi-circular ends.

GEORGE F. FIJUX. 

